Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Q & A With Keri Topouzian

Book Description: When Tavid Kaloustian, an Armenian drug smuggler and patriot, fakes his own death and escapes, it is only one of a series of dangerous events in pursuit of his own liberty, and championing justice for his people. As the Turkish military closes in on him and his family, Tavid is forced to make an enormous personal sacrifice to spare the lives of his fellow Armenians and to.When Tavid Kaloustian, an Armenian drug smuggler and patriot, fakes his own death and escapes, it is only one of a series of dangerous events in pursuit of his own liberty, and championing justice for his people. As the Turkish military closes in on him and his family, Tavid is forced to make an enormous personal sacrifice to spare the lives of his fellow Armenians and to extract justice from the Turks who rule them. As World War I erupts, who will die and who will survive in this complex lethal game of ethnic pride and principles?

Q: Tell us a little bit about your main character Tavid. A: Tavid Kaloustian was born in 1893 and is 20 years old when the story starts. He is from Tchingeler, a small Armenian village in the western part of the Ottoman Empire. He was trained as a chemist to work in the silk industry as most in his village were but instead he abused his knowledge and grew and sold opium on the black market in Constantinople to pay off bribes to gendarmes, and the military to protect his family and his village. He is a natural born killer and will stop at nothing to protect his friends and family. Q: Why did you decided to write A Perfect Armenian?A: I am very proud of my Armenian heritage and most people are not familiar with Armenians or what happened to my culture a hundred years ago. This novel indirectly educates about the Armenian culture through a fast moving action packed thriller/love story. Also, most books written of this time period are very sad and reek of defeatism. I wanted to write a novel that showed that even when the odds are against you, with perseverance and a little luck you could survive and maybe even be a victor. Making the best of a bad situation and coming out as a victor.Q: Why doesn't anybody know about the Armenian genocide?A: Unfortunately over the years, the Turkish government has put pressure on the U.S. government to keep this under wraps. They have a lot of pull because of the U.S. air bases that are located in Turkey and the strategic location of Turkey with the past Soviet Union and now with the Middle East. Turkey is also one of only three Muslim countries that have recognized Israel as a country and have for years allowed Soviet Jews to repatriate to Israel by going through Turkey. And of course Turkey denies that there ever was a Genocide. Since The United States and Israel are very tight, and Turkey has helped Israel, there is additional pressure from these allies to appease Turkey’s need to push the Genocide under the rug.Q: What do you see as influences on your writing? A: A vivid imagination, a learned ability to spin a story, the ability to create. Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge for indie authors and what have you been doing to overcome that? A: Getting the word out to potential readers. I have found that I am giving away more books than I anticipated! I am also utilizing a marketer and Public Relation firm to help get the word out. It’s a full time job!Q: As A Perfect Armenian is your first novel, do you have plans for future books?A: I am writing a medical book for the public on how to treat the top ten worst conditions on Earth, I have a sequel for A Perfect Armenian in the works and when I am done with these two I have a SciFi Novel that I am going to write.Q: What do you do to unwind and relax?
A: I love going to movies, going to the beach and chilling and I play hockey to relax.Q: What book are you reading now?A: The Great Gatsby

About the Author: KERI TOPOUZIAN, D.O., is a physician who practices holistic and alternative medicine. His grandparents hailed from four different villages in ancient Armenia (now part of Turkey), each immigrating separately to the United States in the early 1900's. Their personal stories and the struggles of their people inspired this, his first novel.

"If it weren't for fiction, I believe we would know very little about our world. A list of historic facts might come and go, but when our imaginations become involved, we learn. When we are able to place ourselves within the story and laugh or cry with the characters, we remember. Not many people know much about Armenia, its history or its people. I hope that this novel will open a small and interesting window into this culture. My culture."